FEATURE

MARINE PROPULSION

Marine Exhaust Systems: Special Sealing Challenges

Sealing exhaust systems is particularly
important to the marine industry because
of the temperatures, air volumes and
noise levels associated with leaks. OEMs
typically recommend graphite-filled, spiral-wound gaskets for use in the flanged
piping connections of these high-temperature, low-pressure systems. However
these gaskets are prone to failure due to
loss of mass through oxidation of the
graphite, high vibration levels and thermal expansion and contraction. Accordingly, gasket selection is an important
part of ship maintenance and repair.
Gaskets are designed to accommodate
vibration, thermal expansion and contraction, and a range of loading condi-

tions. Most failures occur when gasket

stress, or pre-load induced by tightening
the flange bolts, falls below the range for
which the gasket is designed. Following
are the major factors that contribute to
loss of gasket stress in marine exhaust
systems.
Thermal cycling occurs throughout a
ships journey with weather, speed and
fouling all impacting engine load. For example, bottom growth and fouling can
cause a medium-speed diesel to reach
temperatures of over 1,832F (1,000C).
The expansion and contraction of flanges
caused by such temperature spikes can
loosen flanged joints and reduce gasket
stress.

Bolting patterns and sequence for various flanges

Vibration also adversely affects gaskets, particularly in high-temperature

systems. Graphite-based gaskets for
high-temperature applications possess little organic content, which can burn off
and create leak paths. However the absence of such elastic materials inhibits
gasket recovery after compression. By
contrast gaskets for lower temperature
applications can be made of rubber,
which due to its elasticity has excellent
recovery properties. Unfortunately
graphite lacks the recovery capabilities of
an elastomeric gasket, making it more
susceptible to loss of bolt load and gasket stress in high vibration systems.
Loss of gasket mass due to oxidation is
another major concern. While graphite is
ideal for use in non-oxidizing environments, marine exhaust is highly oxidizing. Graphite begins to oxidize at 850F
(450C), which marine exhaust systems
consistently exceed. The carbon in
graphite gaskets combines with oxygen
from the air to create CO and CO2., causing them to literally lose mass to the atmosphere. The rate of oxidation depends
upon the temperature and amount of oxygen to which a gasket is exposed.
Upon installation a gasket is placed between two flanges and torqued to the rec-

ommended bolt load for sealing. As a

gasket loses mass through oxidation,
voids develop in the space between the
flanges, decreasing bolt load and gasket
stress.
The gasket is now held loosely in place
and exposed to potentially high-velocity
exhaust, a situation analogous to putting
ashes on the dashboard of a moving car
and opening the windows. As oxidation
progresses, sealing performance degenerates until the gasket fails and exhaust
escapes from the system.
TESTING
The purity and chemical doping of the
graphite in a gasket will largely determine its performance at elevated temperatures. To measure its effect on rates of
oxidation and loss of mass, two exfoliated graphite gaskets were placed in an
oven at 1,000oF (540oC) for 17 days. The
two gaskets were periodically removed,
weighed on a Mettler scale and immediately returned to the oven. Even with its
higher level of graphite purity and additives, the tang-core gasket still exhibited
a sizeable loss of mass over an extremely
short period of exposure.

GASKET SELECTION
A simple acronym, STAMP (size, temperature, application, media, pressure)
can serve as a useful guide in selecting
the right sealing solution for virtually any
application. For large vessel exhaust systems, the two primary concerns are temperature and the parameters of the
application itself. Of less concern are the
media, just exhaust air, and pressure,
which tends to be low in marine exhaust
systems.
Temperature essentially dictates the
type of gasket to be used. For temperatures below 850F (450 oC) the material
of choice is graphite, which offers good
sealability and conforms to flange imperfections to prevent leak paths. The two
most common types of graphite gaskets
for marine exhaust systems are spiralwound and tang-core-reinforced sheet,
both of which are suitable for use below
850F. Above this temperature, graphite
gaskets should be avoided in favor of
non-oxidizing, ceramic-based gaskets
with low organic content.
With regard to application parameters,
knowing the flange type, material and
bolting information allows available gasket stress to be calculated, indicating the
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Maritime Reporter & Engineering News

The installation of reinforced ceramic

sheet gasketing in the exhaust system
of the 225-ft. (68.6m) yacht Attessa
after spiral-wound graphite gaskets
oxidized and caused leaks.

type of gasket to be used. Spiral-wound,

reinforced sheet and corrugated metal
gaskets are all available with various
sealing elements and differ functionally
in terms of required gasket stress to effect
a seal and the maximum pressure the gasket is able to seal.
Made by winding alternating strips of
metal and softer, more compressible filler
materials, spiral-wound gaskets were developed to provide improved performance in high-pressure applications. The
metal windings are made of various
grades of carbon steel, stainless steel,
nickel and titanium. The filler elements
are usually graphite, ceramic or PTFE
materials, and are based on the temperature and chemical resistance requirements of the application.
Graphite/stainless steel spiral-wound
gaskets are suitable for marine exhaust
systems, provided the available bolting
and flange configuration can produce sufficient gasket stress. Minimum recommended stress for these gaskets is 10,000
psi, the highest of the three types under
consideration.
Also suitable for marine exhaust systems are reinforced graphite and ceramic
sheet gaskets. The reinforcement ele-

ments in these gaskets usually consist of

various configurations of stainless steel
foils, as well as tang and wire mesh inserts. Both sheet and corrugated metal
gaskets require less bolt load than spiralwound gaskets since there are no metal
windings to be compressed. Minimum
recommended stress for reinforced sheet
gaskets is 5,000 psi.
Corrugated metal gaskets combine a
metal core with a compressible sealing
element. A variety of metals is available
for the core, and either graphite, PTFE or
ceramic-based materials may be used for
the sealing elements. Corrugated metal
gaskets conform to flange irregularities
even under low bolt loads, and can be
used when the space between the flanges
will not accommodate a spiral-wound
gasket. Minimum recommended stress
for this type of gasket is 3,600 psi.
Gasket Type Minimum Stress
Recommendation
Spiral-wound
10,000 psi
Reinforced sheet
5,000 psi
Corrugated metal
3,600 psi

INSTALLATION

It is important to note that previously

compressed gaskets, as evidenced by an
imprint of the flange, should not be
reused. Having been compressed, they
will not recovery sufficiently, resulting in
premature loss of bolt load. In addition
the flange bolts should be well lubricated
and flat washers hardened. Liquid or
metal-based anti-stick and lubricating
compounds should never be used on the
gasket.
During installation the gasket should be
compressed uniformly by first hand tightening the bolts, then going side to side on
the flange, applying load to the bolts with
a torque wrench (Figure 3). It is recommended that the bolts be tightened in onethird increments with the final pass at the
target torque value made consecutively
from bolt to bolt. A final check and retorquing can be made 12 to 24 hours after
installation.
CONCLUSION
Under certain circumstances, OEMsupplied graphite gaskets may be suitable
in exhaust systems for new engines with
limited vibration. However normal wear
and tear over time can result in failure
and leaking joints, the fumes and noise

from which can adversely impact the

safety and comfort of crew members and
others. These leaks can be avoided by
taking into account the state of the equipment and the operating conditions of the
system when selecting the sealing solution. Limited temperature resistance and
resiliency will effectively eliminate
graphite from being used in systems that
exceed its capabilities Graphite oxidizes
at different rates, depending on its purity
and the use of doping agents to inhibit
oxidation. Testing demonstrated the susceptibility of graphite to oxidation at a
relatively low temperature. These test results combined with actual failures of
graphite gaskets in service indicate the
need to consider alternative sealing materials such as ceramics to withstand the
extreme temperatures in marine exhaust
systems.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Wayne Evans is Product Development
Engineer & Sherwin Damdar, Senior
Product Engineer, Garlock Sealing Technologies

3030 E. Pershing St.

Appleton, WI 54911 USA
sales@appletonmarine.com
www.appletonmarine.com
Phone: (920) 738-5432
Visit Booth # 530
at the 2011 International
Fax: (920) 738-5435
WorkBoat Show
November 2011www.marinelink.com

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